Simple Pleasures and the Summer Breeze Poncho

this morning, as I was returning home from the Little Miss no 1’s school run and having some more free time than I usually do (meaning thirty minutes, don’t think about loooong hours!), I thought that it would be fun to share a few snapshots of the last two weeks- nothing spectacular, just simple everyday moments of busy weeks and even more busy weekends. As said already, end of spring and beginning of summer, so May and June, are always super hectic at Cherry Frog’s pond. The Little Misses have all kind of full schedules seven days a week; double this with the birthday party of Miss no 2, who recently turned 11, the ballet and flute and piano exams soon to come, and you have a picture of how’s life at the moment 🙂

However, growing older and getting out of the baby and toddler period and the exhaust that goes hand in hand with those days, I found myself enjoying much more the little simple things. I know, it sounds like a cliché. Maybe it is. But truth is, I find great joy in small everyday moments, small tits and bits amidst a busy life. Simple Pleasures, that’s it.

So, this post is all about simple pleasures (and a poncho, but this comes later)

Like putting flowers at our living room..

or drinking an espresso in front of the window, leaning on the table made by Mr.BeardMan out of old vinyl disks (and trying to forget just how incredibly awfully I’ve been grumbling at him while he was making it)

and wearing my floral ElNaturalista shoes (no, this is not an ad, I just love these shoes)…

or my silver Birkenstocks…

and enjoying my new watch, gift from a dear friend, along with my fresh purple nail colour…

and the fish necklace, yet another recent gift (oh, how much I love my friends)…

And this very morning, I slowed down my pace to take a picture of this jasmine tree climbing on a pine (smells like a love affair)…

and of the pomegranate tree in our garden…

and then of this bush full of pink flowers, whose name I don’t know…

and of the second coffee of the morning, outside at the porch, next to the hydrangeas, in my favourite cup

But my simple pleasures would never be full without some creativity. So, few days ago I was wondering what I should do with some balls of yarn that I’ve purchased during my trip in Gent, remember? I’ve started several projects, two shawls, two summer tops, one scarf… nothing seemed to work and I kept frogging and frogging. Until my mum asked for a light poncho, to wear during the summer evenings instead of a jacket. That was it. A poncho. Simple, quick, the perfect project for this gorgeous duck egg cotton-silk yarn I had. Two evenings were enough~ I finished it yesterday, minutes before midnight, sitting on my favorite couch and having Little Miss no 1 next to me, reading out loud some chapters from “A tree grows in Brooklyn”. If happiness could be reflected in a picture, this would be mine.

And the Summer Breeze Poncho was born. Nothing super dooper, nothing spectacular, no creative earthquake in the crafters community. I’m sure that if I search, I’ll find dozens of similar patterns. But, hey, it’s my poncho and I love it.

If you fancy a try on this project, I’ve written down the pattern. Hope you enjoy 🙂

Row 1: 80 Foundation dc (if you’re not familiar with foundation stitches, you may find a splendid video tutorial for foundation dc (sc in US terminology) here by lovely Chiwei of One Dog Woof). Join with slip stich to form a ring. You may also chain 80 and join with sl st. I personally prefer the foundation dc method, as it’s trickier to join a chain of 80 without the risk of twisting the chain. Please check whether the circle formed by your initial chain is large enough to get your head through. If not, adjust your initial chain upside or downside, but always keep in mind that it needs to be a multiple of 8.

Row 4 and onwards: Repeat Row 3 until you reach your desired length. Remember to turn your work after the end of each row. In the 3 tr clusters (which form the angles of the triangular poncho), always work 3 tr, ch 1, 3 tr.

You may add fringes or tassels on your end row. Voila!

Hope that May is treating you nicely, lovelies, and that simple pleasures are all around you